The QCBJ will gather area manufacturers, their suppliers and other business leaders for a conference this fall to network, learn best practices and discuss the challenges facing the manufacturing industry today.
The Manufacturing Conference will be Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Bend XPO at 922 Mississippi Parkway on East Moline’s riverfront. The day-long event begins at 8 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m.
The conference is being presented by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal and its sister publication, Corridor Business Journal, based in North Liberty, Iowa.
The event is open to anyone interested in the future of manufacturing and attendance is encouraged from both the Quad Cities and Corridor regions. The conference includes keynote speakers, breakout sessions and a trade show.
“The foundation of the Quad Cities’ economy is manufacturing and that’s why we are so excited to bring our annual Manufacturing Conference to the Quad Cities this September,” said John F. Lohman, CEO and president of the Corridor Media Group, which publishes the QCBJ and the CBJ.
“We have been hosting this event in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor for nearly 10 years and plan to rotate the conference between the two regions,” he added.
The Manufacturing Conference keynote speakers will include:
- Ed Youdell, president and CEO of Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA), International. He joined FMA in 2007 as group publisher of FMA Communications, Inc. after serving more than 18 years in the publishing and trade show industries. He became president and CEO of FMA, FMA Communications and FMA’s charitable foundation — Nuts, Bolts & Thingamajigs — in December of 2011. He received the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Council of Manufacturing Associations’ annual Leadership Award in 2013 for creating the concept of a national Manufacturing Day and bringing together other industry leading organizations to collaborate as co-producers. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
- Shawn Phillips is the Smart Connected factory manager for John Deere’s Large Tractor and Combine division where he is responsible for manufacturing strategies pertaining to technology-driven process improvements, including data and analytics as well as digital and physical automation. Over his 24-year career he has had roles in Software Engineering, Industrial Robotics, Factory Automation, Manufacturing Engineering, and Smart connected Factory. He joined Deere in 2003 with a focus on improving the quality and efficiency of manufacturing processes through automation and mistake-proofing solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Iowa, a Masters of Science degree in computer science from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Master Certificate in Systems Design and Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The breakout sessions will include: Lisa Wertzbaugher, co-owner, Wertzbaugher Services; Andrea Belk Olson, CEO, Pragmadik; and Chris Moore, vice president, LCM2M (Caddis Systems). More speakers and breakout sessions are to be released in the coming weeks.
Tickets to the Manufacturing Conference are $100 each. To register, visit the Events tab on the QCBJ website, quadcitiesbusiness.com.
“The goal of this annual conference is to provide best practices on new trends like AI and further develop relationships within the manufacturing industry,” said Mr. Lohman.
The Manufacturing Conference is made possible by these sponsors: Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, Platinum Sponsor; Gold Sponsors — John Deere, Iowa Association of Business and Industry; and Silver Sponsors — Baker Group, Frontier Co-op, Shive-Hattery Architecture & Engineering and ALM Positioners.
For information on sponsoring the event contact Lauren Grask at (319) 665-6397 or [email protected].
In addition, the QCBJ is seeking vendors interested in participating in the conference’s trade show. For more information on reserving a booth, contact Ms. Grask.
For more information on the event, contact Lucas Hayes at (319) 665-6397 or [email protected].
